The Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS), pictured above, was thrown overboard from the International Space Station on July 23, 2007. Originally used as an ammonia reservoir for the space station's cooling system, it was rendered obsolete by upgrades and jettisoned to make room for new hardware.

The orbit of the EAS has been decaying since the reservoir was discarded. If predictions are correct, the EAS will descend into Earth's atmosphere and disintegrate in a blaze of light during the early hours of Nov. 3rd. Uncertainties in the exact re-entry time are so great (plus or minus 15 hours) that it is impossible to pinpoint where the fireball will appear. Every continent except Antarctica has some potentially favorable ground tracks. Check the Satellite Tracker for overflights, but don't put too much faith in the predictions. Orbital elements are changing rapidly as the EAS skims the top of Earth's atmosphere.

REENTRY UPDATE: The Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS) may be history. Thomas Dorman of Horizon City, Texas, used a low-light video camera to record the EAS flying over his hometown on Nov. 1st. Similar overflights were expected on Nov. 2nd and 3rd, "but the EAS did not appear," he says. "I think it is safe to assume EAS has reentered." So far we have received no reports of a fireball, but that is not necessarily surprising. Reentry could have happened in daylight, over ocean waters or some other sparsely populated area. Stay tuned for updates.